projectlokifandomcom-20200214-history
Magic: Mechanics
The entirety of the system is considered to be "High Magic." Therefore, there's very little restriction on what's required to cast spells. Requirements In order to use magic, a person need only have either the knowledge of a particular rite or a device to act as a surrogate for the knowledge. A standard mage will often have the knowledge personally, but others are more likely to have a device to cast the spell for them. This splits magic into two categories: Tech and Personal. For many spells, there is a Magery requirement. This is the requirement for you to cast the spell unaided, not for you to know the spell! Learning Magic Learning a new spell is incredibly simple. Through observation, it's possible for an individual to "pick up" the knowledge of how a rite is performed. It's also possible to gain an impression on how a rite is performed through the use of technical magic, eventually allowing them to perform the spell on a personal level without assistance. Further spells in a "tree" are also researchable by an individual mage. This is done in a manner similar to invention, but is far easier to do - provided that the mage either has the requisite spells or skills or can find a way to use the spell without said requisite spells. Note that, if the prerequesites are not met after learning a spell, then the mage must have the device that allowed them to perform the spell in the first place. Casting Spells Time Spells cost the normal listed time, minus time for the individual's skill. Note that this is the individual's skill and not the item's skill; a tech user who's skilled in Great Haste will be able to activate a device enchanted with the same faster than a tech user without the skill! The exception to this is missile spells and most firearms. Most firearms require little effort on the part of the user and, as a result, grant no skill to the user for firing them. Missile and "Jet" spells, which cover the rest of firearms, have a set charge time: up to three seconds or your Magery score, whichever's higher. Extra time spent charging a missile spell will increase the damage based upon the energy spent to charge the spell. See "Cost" for additional information on the cost and effect of charging a spell. Note that some firearms, particularly beam weapons, follow this rule. Additionally, if the caster requires more time to cast a spell than is normally within the spell's casting time to gain more energy - a caster with Magery 1 trying to cast a spell with a requirement of 12 in 2 seconds - then they either need help or additional time to charge the spell, see below. Cost All spells, regardless of how much energy required to cast them, cost 1 FP from either the user or from a nearby powerstone. No more fatigue is spent on this spell. Instead, the user draws upon the world around them to create the desired effect. The energy spent is taken from the area's "tally," which represents the zone's capacity for magic use. Note that this tally is shared! All mages and magitek in an area draw from the same tally! One the tally reaches a particular threshold - which changes based upon multiple factors - overload occurs, which happens in stages, covered later. Charged spells, particularly "Jet" and "Missile" spells cost the user 1 FP on the first turn... and that's it! Any additional energy spent on charging these spells is taken from the zone's tally. This makes charging a spell for the full three seconds the most efficient way to make use of FP for a caster - even some forms of beam weapons. Additionally, the amount of energy spent to charge the spell on subsiquent seconds to charge the spell is equal to the energy spent on the first turn. 3 energy spent on a fireball the first second makes for 9 energy charged by the third second (that's a 9d fireball!). You aren't worried about getting the spell right anymore - you're worried about keeping everything stable! Limits There is no upper limit to how much energy that can be pumped into a spell, should the user have the ability to put the energy into the spell. No spell can take less than a second to cast. For automatic weapons, your 'fire rate' is the amount of projectiles that can be fired with a single spell. No mage can use more energy on a spell than their magery score +1 squared per second - Magitek has an inherant magery score set at it's creation (Up to the creator's Magery +1)! An example on the application is that, with Magery 1 (A new mage), a mage can spend 4 energy on a spell per turn while a mage with Magery 3 (Typical cybernetic mage) can spend up to 16 per turn and one with Magery 9 (Typical Aspect) can spend up to 100 per turn! It is impossible for an individual to have a Magery score higher than 1 without working with magic. It's also impossible to naturally progress past Magery 2 without some form of cybernetic augmentation. Additionally, there's another limitation on spells. The minimum energy expendature on spells is equal to the user or device's magery score +1. Thus, a character with Magery 1 who tries to use Fireball must spend at least 2 energy to cast the spell while someone with Magery 9 must spend at least 10 energy on a spell. Note that this means that a character with high Magery may be able to do great things with magic, but they're a walking bomb and, thus, have a difficult time working precisely and, while their upper limit seems to be limitless, they're the ones that are most likely to cause catastrophies with overuse of magic! Perks that increase the upper limit of energy used on a spell also increase the lower limit of energy used on a spell! Incantations Incantations are typically not required. Spells with verbal components are often syntactic in nature and are unavailable to players. Language based spells, such as "Speak language" have no effect on the words actually used by the individual. Instead, these are Mind spells, bestowing an understanding of the concepts used when communicating. Mages and Gear While it's impossible to detail exactly what's required for a particular mage to use magic, one thing is common: standard mages must have both arms bare and at least one hand free in order to cast spells. Cybernetic mages require neither - the capacity to cast spells is built in. Implants and Magery It is possible to artificially increase a user's Magery through the use of Thaumatology, Magitek and Physiology (To create the implant) followed by Surgery at TL 9 or higher (To perform the procedure to apply the implant). This specific combination of skills is a requirement for the implant to function properly, but can come from multiple sources - the group hoping to put together an implant must know how magic works in general, how a person's body channels and manipulates magic without dying, and have the technical skills to put together a device to function as a surrogate organ that functions as a mage's "core"! The cyborg's Magery score becomes that of the implant. Thus, a new cybernetic mage who initially had a Magery score of 0 may gain Magery 3 when the procedure's complete if the implant's Magery is 3. This is a radical procedure (See Ultratech, page 207). Furthermore, cybernetics that create an activated effect, such as Hyperspectral Eyes (p.U215) are often accompanied by some form of power source to work with the cyborg's own mana generation, thus eliminating their need to provide energy for it. In the case of a heavily modified body, high Magery implants will be used to increase the user's potential to the point where they would passively generate enough power to allow all their "powered" cybernetics to function without aid. Other cybernetics, such as bionic limb replacements, subdermal armor, and hyperdense skeletal replacements, do not require power to maintain. All cybernetic mages influence the area's threshold score by lowering it based upon how many "powered" implants that they have. Catastrophies Going over an area's limit poses several problems. While initial effects are relatively minor - a slight burning sensation felt by living beings within the vicinity of the last spell cast - further spellcasting creates several problems, leading to outright disasters. Additionally, a problem with using large amounts of mana at once is that it becomes easier to use more mana on spells, making them more powerful, but making it easier to cause problems in the area around you. Stage 1 - 50% of zone threshold: Characters with Magery 2 or higher can detect a large amount "free" of mana in the area, higher than normal. Though it causes little problems as of yet, continued use may become inconvenient. +2 bonus on all spellcasting skills. Stage 2 - 75% of zone threshold: Characters with Magery 1 or higher can detect a large amount of "free" mana in the area, much higher than normal. Characters with Magery 2 take a -1 penalty on all self-control rolls and the penalty for maintaining multiple spells at once is eliminated. +3 bonus on all spellcasting skills. Cost reduction for high skill levels are eliminated at this stage. Stage 3 - 100% of zone threshold: Anyone within the area can feel their skin beginning to burn. All characters take a -1 penalty on all self-control rolls. +4 bonus on all spellcasting skills. Lower and upper limits of spellcasting are increased by 50% (Do not round on charged spells!) and their effects on tallies are increased by 100%. All characters within the area make a HT roll. Failure results in 1d damage after (HT) hours and Low Pain Threshold (Disadvantage) for one week. Magic cannot cure these ailments! Stage 4 - 125% of zone threshold: All living beings within the area must make a HT roll or suffer the above. Failure also results in Hemophilia as a temporary disadvantage for one week. Previous ailment durations are increased by one week. Spellcasting is enhanced even further. Spells gain an effect bonus of 100% and tally effects are increased by 150% of base. Small quakes can be felt and other odd weather patterns - lightning where no clouds are in the sky, for instance - begin to occur, but don't require any checks Stage 5 - 150% of zone theshold: All living beings within the area must make a HT roll or suffer the above and gain Magic Susceptibility (1) and increase their Magery by 1 for one week. Previous ailment duration increases by one week. Spells gain an effect bonus of 150% and tally effects are increased by 200%. Large quakes can be felt in the area. DX checks are required to maintain balance. If in a stressful situation, checks will be required every ten seconds. Lower limits on energy use is doubled while upper limits are tripled. Stage 6 - 175% of zone threshold: As above, but Magic Susceptibility and Magery levels are increased to 2. Increase these levels by 1 and the duration of all ailments by 1 week for every stage after this. Spell effect bonuses cap out at 200% at this stage, but tally bonuses increase by 50% for this stage and every stage afterward (250% now, 300% at next stage, ect). Fissures begin to form in the ground. The sky changes color to a deep red. DX checks are required to maintain balance, but have a penalty of -1. Failure in the wrong place sends the character into a fissure, forever killing them. Stage 7 - 200% of zone threshold: The fabric of reality is literally beginning to tear. As a result, a Scourge Reaper is dispatched to the planet. Once they arrive, they begin killing the ones that caused the fracture in reality and, afterward, turn their attention to the world, indescriminately killing any living being that they come across. Fissures appear with greater frequency and the weather becomes far more violent. Gravity functions in odd ways, and other fundamental forces of the universe stop functioning in a predictable fasion. Stage 8 - 250% of zone threshold: At this point, there is a large enough rupture in reality to create a black hole. Any and all life within the area is extinguished (No check. You just created a black hole!). The planet you're on is destroyed, as is the surrounding system. Category:Mechanics